Title

Author

Date of Award

12-1989

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Special Education and Literacy Studies

Abstract

This study compared school administrators (principals and special education directors) in districts with residency policies and administrators in districts without residency policies on the number of community activities participated in, the location of 11 typical goods and services purchased, and job performance as rated by immediate supervisors. The literature revealed that the existence of residency policies has been justified by statements that resident administrators participate in more community activities, spend more money in the district, and have better job performance than nonresident administrators.

Four research hypotheses concerning participation in community activities, purchases, and job performance were based on the assumption that there would be no difference between administrators required to live in their school district, administrators who are not required but chose to live in their school districts, and administrators who are not required and chose to reside outside their school districts.

The subjects were 151 administrators randomly selected from school districts throughout Michigan. They were asked to list the names and locations of the community activities in which they participated and to also indicate the locations of 11 major goods and services which they last purchased. The immediate supervisors of the subjects were contacted and rated the subjects on their job performance.

The results indicated that resident administrators participated in significantly more community activities within their school district and significantly more community activities regardless of location than nonresident administrators. Nonresident administrators purchased home mortgages, groceries, gasoline for cars, car repair services, home repair services, and medical services outside the school district at significantly higher than expected rates. Resident administrators in districts without residency policies purchased home appliances within the school district at a significantly higher rate than expected. There was no significant difference between the job performance scores as rated by immediate supervisors of resident administrators and nonresident administrators.

Implications are that residency policies for administrators can be justified on the grounds that resident administrations participate in community activities and spend their salaries within the school district, but cannot be justified on the grounds that resident administrators are rated better on job performance than nonresident administrators.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

Recommended Citation

Nelson, Sue, "A Study of Community Activities, Personal Expenditures, and Job Performance of School Administrators in Districts with and without Residency Policies" (1989). Dissertations. 2155.
http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/2155